Sierra Leone's civil war has been the primary reason for the growth of its communities in Britain.

But, in common with other west African nations, the pattern of settlement is a familiar one based upon people heading for where their communities already exist.

Overall, the number of people born in Sierra Leone living in Britain rose by about 10,500 between 1991 and 2001. The vast majority are in London where the largest clusters are in Southwark and Lambeth.

Modest numbers appearing in the North West are almost certainly the result of asylum dispersal.

Concentrations of people born in Sierra Leone

Map on right shows country as if areas with roughly equal populations were the same size. So, densely populated London takes up much more space than sparsely populated Scottish Highlands.

At-a-glance

16,972 people born in Sierra Leone were living in Britain at the 2001 census.

8 out of 10 were in London. Half of all local areas recorded no people born in Sierra Leone at all.

87% of the growth in the Sierra Leone-born population was in London over the 10 years to 2001.

1 local area outside London records more than 100 Sierra Leone-born residents - Southcote, Reading.